Chapter 310 - 174: Bone Aspect
Additionally, the white-robed youth, Xia Tianzhong, had successfully fused with the Dragon Elephant yesterday, gaining True Dragon Power. However, just like Chu Lingguang, he had yet to unlock his fourth-level Dharma Aspect.
But he was already putting immense pressure on Chu Lingguang. With his superior Bloodline Level, Chu Lingguang stood no chance of gaining an advantage when Xia Tianzhong unleashed his True Dragon Power.
Going from Celestial Rank to A Class, Chu Lingguang felt a little disheartened.
He returned to his private room and sat in deep contemplation. Before long, a Black Armored Warrior knocked on his door. It was Guo Wei’s third letter in reply.
Chu Lingguang read it immediately.
The letter first informed Chu Lingguang that he and Hei Hu had reached the Hundred Thousand Mountains and were staying in a small town. From now on, they could exchange letters every other day.
Upon learning that Chu Lingguang had hit a bottleneck, Guo Wei had only a single sentence of advice, telling Chu Lingguang to focus on just one thing.
It was a simple, unremarkable sentence, yet it struck Chu Lingguang like a bolt of lightning.
’The greatest truths are the simplest. How could I have forgotten that?’
’My talent has improved recently, but it’s still nothing compared to Xia Tianzhong and the others. I practiced my Spear Technique in front of the stele, originally intending to quickly exhaust my Flesh and Blood Power and find a response from within. In reality, I was just straying further from the path, scattering my focus between the Spear Technique and the resonance of my flesh and blood. Master said it from the very beginning: on the path of Martial Arts Cultivation, you must stay true to your original heart to surpass yourself. I want to unlock the fourth-level Dharma Aspect, evolve my bloodline, and find the release frequency of my flesh and blood all at once. Who do I think I am? I’m not Yan Zhen. How could I possibly manage all of that? Teacher Yun Hong must have only intended for me to unlock my fourth-level Dharma Aspect when he let me cultivate before the stele. He never expected me to practice my Spear Technique there, but he probably felt it wasn’t his place to interfere. When it comes down to it, Teacher Yun Hong doesn’t understand me. Only Master truly knows me.’
Chu Lingguang muttered to himself. Guo Wei’s single sentence had cut straight to the heart of the matter, making him realize with a jolt that his recent training methods were no different from Hei Hu’s usual clumsy efforts.
「The next day.」
After his lessons at the Learning Palace, Chu Lingguang once again arrived before the stone stele, empty-handed.
Even though his status had dropped from Heavenly Talent to A-grade Talent, Yun Hong hadn’t revoked his privilege to train before the stele. When he arrived at the back of the mountain, he saw Zhao Rushuang was also there. She, along with Long Xin and two others, had already stepped within the hundred-meter range.
Without a change in expression, Chu Lingguang entered the hundred-meter range, empty-handed.
His behavior today surprised Long Xin and the other two. At first, they assumed he wasn’t practicing his Spear Technique because he was afraid the fluctuations would affect Zhao Rushuang, who was also training there.
However, over the next few days, Chu Lingguang continued to arrive empty-handed. He would try to inch closer to the stele, taking just one small step forward each day. The moment his four hours were up, he would leave without a moment’s delay.
「Seven days later.」
The distance between Chu Lingguang and the stele was now almost eighty meters; one more step would close it to exactly that. Meanwhile, Long Xin and his companions had long since passed the eighty-meter mark, and Xia Tianzhong had even reached seventy-five meters, leaving Chu Lingguang far behind.
But Chu Lingguang paid them no mind.
He hesitated, wondering if he should take that one small step to close the distance to eighty meters. He could feel the pressure was already at the very edge of his limit.
If he took that step, the pressure might overwhelm him. If he got injured, he would have to rest for some time and be unable to continue his training here.
But by only ever approaching his limit, Chu Lingguang had been unable to hear any response from deep within his bones.
He hesitated again and again, then recalled the contents of Guo Wei’s first letter.
’In Martial Arts Cultivation, one must not lack the courage to advance bravely.’
This step before him was not a matter of life and death, but it was another kind of breakthrough for him.
Chu Lingguang raised his head and gazed at the moss-covered stone stele. In a daze, he almost felt as if Guo Wei and Hei Hu were standing just beyond the hundred-meter line, watching him.
’If Master knew my situation,’ he thought, ’he might not want me to take this step. But I can’t lack the courage to take it.’
And so, his flushed expression gradually twisted into one of crazed determination.
In that instant, he took a heavy step forward, successfully closing the distance to eighty meters.
GROAN!
In that moment, Chu Lingguang heard a groan from deep within his bones, as if they were gathering their strength to resist the pressure with him.
A clear response echoed from his limbs and bones, traveling straight to his Sea of Consciousness.
At that moment, every bone in his body seemed to undergo a metamorphosis.
The fourth level of the Dragon Elephant Dharma Aspect—the Bone Aspect—bloomed within his body as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The crushing pressure that had brought him to the brink of collapse began to fade from his perception at a visible rate.